I've written about Brazil pre-Lula and post-Lula and spent the last five years covering all aspects of the country for Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal and Barron's. Meanwhile, for an undetermined amount of time, and with a little help from my friends, I will be parachuting primarily into Brazil, Russia, India and China. But will also be on the look out for interesting business stories and investing ideas throughout the emerging markets.

Some Brazilians Not Happy About Olympics

With the London Summer Olympics ending Sunday night, the next summer games will take place in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But not all the locals are looking forward to it.

Later in the day, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge will present the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, with the Olympic flag in a multi-million dollar ceremony in London. But thousands of Rio’s poorest residents are living in fear of losing their homes to forced evictions that are destroying their communities, according to the Rio Community on the Olympics and World Cup Games.

The group estimated that 170,000 Brazilians were at risk of losing—or have already lost—their homes in forced evictions tied to preparations for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Forced evictions happen primarily in highly valued areas of cities, resulting in the expulsion of the poorest people to the outskirts, where there is neither adequate infrastructure nor access to basic public services, they said in a press release on Sunday.

“Hosting the Olympics should be a cause for celebration not fear,” says Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm, Executive Director of WITNESS, a human rights group that did a short documentary about the evictions. “Forced evictions undermine the mission and spirit of the games. We call on government officials to immediately put a stop to the practice of forced evictions.”

On Thursday, residents and supporters of the Vila Autódromo community are presenting Mayor Paes with a newly finished community-developed counter-proposal to possible eviction.

Renato Cosentino, spokesperson for the Rio Committee said in the press release that, “The international community is not aware of the threat these evictions hold to some of Brazil’s most vulnerable citizens. We have been begging our Government to engage with us and listen. We are now asking the international community to join us in this plea.”

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Unfortunately , as always, the most of Brazilians just see the trivial the pretty-pretty effects of the olimpic games and world cup.

Public money is being spent shamefully only for a minority of large corporations profiting.

That is why there is no spending on education here, so things like this can still happen. I really hope this man in the video br strong enough to win his case, but justice in Brazil usually only works for the rich

Hello, I was reading the article about the price of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but then I read this and have to comment here, because this is very important. What you are doing, the media here just ignores, not only the media, everybody. This Olympics and the World Cup has been just out of control, it’s outrageous. The country don’t have conditions to have any of these events here, and this it’s not benefiting the brazilians, okay, maybe a few, but if look beyond, a country that don’t have the capacity of take care of here own population, don’t have to receive a millions of peoples too. Seeing this video just remember how things are so wrong here. I’m a student of law, and sometimes I just think “Why? Theres no justice in here”, for one side see this video make me wanna become a fighter and change that, but then I realize there this it’s so much big then it seems, it’s a lot of politicians, a corrupt polices, of all type of person envolved, and if I mess with the wrong people I just could be in danger, not only with my career, but my life too. This is video just a example, if have the interest to known how this thing are so wrong, take a look at the creation of football stadium (or soccer), here in São Paulo, for a private team (Corinthians), that have simple a R$ 420,000,000 tax exemption from the government, yes, all that, and thats not all, have much more dirt in this, and you known if the justice do anything? NO. I only have seeing ONE prosecutor of MP investigate, and thats it. People ignore because their team will open the World Cup, because here in Brazil, soccer it’s most important than a good health system. (and hey, I love this team, and all my family too, but still think that all this it’s inexcusable…)

P.S.: Forgive me about my english, really! I do not have english classes and wrote a hurry, in others words, a bad combination! rs :)

Congratulations Mr. Kenneth for your placement. I’m Brazilian feel the same, I think a real nonsense what happens in some sectors of my country. But believe that this does not only refer to imported cars, this policy of exorbitant interest reaches everything that is manufactured in Brazil. What saddens further is that the current Government is the same as always criticized this attitude in previous Governments. Anyway, even with so many absurdities, know that we are on the right track and that the Brazilian people will appreciate your vote.

Where have I heard this before? Oh yes, the Beijing 2008 Olympics. China didn’t care about its poor. Brazil doesn’t care about its poor. Blame the IOC for choosing countries as hosts to the Olympics which the IOC know will have to expel and raze entire communities of the poor and helpless to make room for Olympic facilities. The Olympics is a convenient excuse for getting ride of those people, too. The IOC doesn’t care and neither does much of the world or there would be sanctions for such activities. Money and ambition talk, the poor walk.

I remember vividly this quote from Lula da Silva: “It will not be just Brazil’s Games but South America’s. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on the continent. It is time to redress the balance. It is time to light the Olympic flame in a tropical country.” If forcing eviction on over 100k resident is this vision of “redress the balance” and inspiring South Americans…well something is clearly not adding up

The Cup and the Olympics in the future based in Brazil, is called: politics of bread and circus. Moreover the country, have faced several strikes in various public sectors, one of education. How can a country wanting to host large events without even investing in public education. My English isn’t good, but the appeal is yes.

Whether discussing Beijing 2008 or Rio de Janeiro 2012 and the ‘euphoric’ perception of the economic rising of the BRIC nations, if this doesn’t cause a 180 degree highlighting and appreciation of American exceptionalism, the rule of law, and the importance of private property rights, I don’t know what does.

In the Uk during the Olympics, many home owners in and around London went on holiday and rented their homes out through the agencies. Everyone was happy. The home owners were paid ( very well I might add ), to go on holiday, the people renting got good comfortable accomodation and the agencies made money. This Iis the civilized way to achieve extra accomodation. I don’t know how the financially poor Brazillians are fixed for taking a vacation, but I’m sure they would rather have that problem to worry about.